A dad was in his home office on an important phone call when his 5-year-old son came in and asked him if he could play. The dad said, "Not right now son, I’m busy." The young boy left and came back a few minutes later with a hopeful expression, "Now are you ready?" The dad tried to stay calm and replied, "Give me a few minutes." The young boy lowered his head and sauntered out, and before the dad could finish apologizing to the other person on the phone for the interruption, the young boy came back and said, "Has it been a few minutes?"
Not wanting to upset the boy and instigate a meltdown, the dad scrambled for a newspaper and ripped off a map of the world. He shredded it into dozens of pieces of paper and said, "Here, go put this map of the world back together and when you bring it back finished, I will be done with my call." The young boy’s eyes lit with excitement and eagerly took the pieces of paper and a roll of tape. Relieved he would have plenty of time to finish his call, the dad settled back into his chair.
Less than 3 minutes later the young boy came back with the paper neatly taped together with the map of the entire world put back together correctly. Intrigued by how his son had done this so quickly, the dad wrapped up the call, examined the paper closely, and then asked, "Son, how did you put this together so quickly?" The young boy said, "Well, there was a picture of a person on the other side of the paper so I just put the person back together. I knew if the person was right, the world would be right."
So often in life and especially in new beginnings like the start of a new year, we have aspirations that hinge on the success or failure of things or events that we can’t control. We end up falling short, and the story is always the same “Well, I couldn’t do it because I wasn’t expecting this to happen first” or “If it weren’t for that mishap, then I could have reached my goal” or “I would’ve done this at work if it weren’t for that person.” However, if we can focus our efforts on what we can control and focus on "getting ourselves right" like the boy suggested, then it’s incredible how all of a sudden the world becomes right, too.
And that is why the best investment strategy for 2020 is to invest in yourself. Whether it’s personal or professional, it doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s investing in your physical health with a fitness regiment or healthier foods; maybe it’s that certification or course you have been wanting to take; or it could even be that coach, mentor, or therapist you have been meaning to enlist.
In closing, my challenge to each of us, regardless of events and changes in 2020 that we can’t control, let’s invest in ourselves because if we can get ourselves right, then the world will be right.
How are YOU investing in yourself in 2020?
- Please comment below one way you will do so this year -
Here are some ideas from members of the domain name industry:
